Imagine an army where everyone did whatever they thought best and no one gave any orders. There’s no squads or units, just lone soldiers roaming. I don’t think this army would do well at all. Every army needs structure. Commanders need to command so people know what to do. Soldiers need to listen for logistics to work well. Soldiers do get to choose some of what they do. They decide how to shoot, when to shoot, where to run, and where to find shelter. They get to choose what is best, but only within the general commands of those above them. It’s the same with God’s army.
Follow the Commander
Yes, God wants to use you. Yes, he wants to do great things through you. However, he doesn’t want rogue soldiers just roaming about. Before we can charge off doing what we think we want to do, we need to heed what our Commander says.
If you don’t know what God’s specific calling is for you, then you need to make sure you are following his general calling. It’s like a soldier running around lost in the woods looking for civilians to save. As much as he may want to save civilians, he can’t do anything until he listens to the commander’s directions to guide him back to the need.
The Goals of God’s Army
In God’s army there’s a few main goals. 1) Walk with God in a close and personal relationship. 2) Glorify God by living holy and upright lives in words, deeds, and thoughts. 3) Love others sacrificially by giving up your time, money, and energy. 4) Love others by sharing how they too can be reunited with God through Jesus’ death and resurrection.
If you want to find your specific calling, start by following God’s general calling. Live out these four goals, and as you grow better in these goals, God will start assigning you special side missions.
God’s Conditioning
God wants to make sure that your primary goals are inline with his four goals. If he gave you a special calling right away, your focus will slip from God’s goals to your own goals.
For example, it’s really easy for me to get distracted with my own goals. I know God’s given me this calling to challenge others to adventurous and Christ-filled lives through wild steps of faith so that eventually the whole world might hear the gospel. But it’s easy for me to get distracted with all this blogging and fiction writing. I often forget my end goal and instead focus on the strategy. Perhaps this is why God hasn’t allowed me to find a publisher for my books yet.
We need conditioning. We need to learn to be faithful with God’s general goals or calling before he starts calling us to specific tasks that we are uniquely qualified for. Doesn’t this make total sense? As we draw closer to God and step out to love others and share the gospel, we will slowly learn what we like doing. Do you prefer sharing the gospel in groups or one on one? Do you love taking care of people’s physical needs and using that as a door to share the gospel? These specifics are only things you can learn through following God’s general calling faithfully.
Setting Out on Your Special Mission
As we start finding our own specific calling, we need to make sure we aren’t neglecting any of the four general goals God desires to achieve through us. These goals aren’t about you. They aren’t about you becoming successful. These goals are about knowing God and making God known.
Because this path is specific to you and how you believe God is calling you, you will need to be strong in your faith. In order to discern God’s calling you need to know God and know his word. You won’t be able to rely on others as much as you could before, though you should always be held accountable. As you endeavor on your own mission, more and more situations will arise where only you and God know what is the best decision. This is why it is paramount that you first study and learn from others.
Welcome to God’s Army
Whether you are a new recruit or a seasoned veteran, there’s something we could all learn from each other. This is why we must join in on this battle together. It’s noble war, and it’s the only war that will satisfy and fulfill you, because at its core is God. Let’s fight together. Let’s live Wilder.
Have any thoughts, questions, or you would like to share your own special God-given mission? Please comment below.
If you liked this blog, please subscribe here for weekly blog updates
If you have doubts that God has a good plan for you, please check out my blog Why Do You Desire What You Desire?
Or, if you have a hard time trusting God, check out my blog 5 Reasons Why You Can Trust God
